Toyota Corolla problems by model year
NHTSA data checked October 31, 2026
Summary
Across model years 2010–2020, NHTSA's public databases list 4,051 owner complaints and 28 distinct recall campaigns for the Toyota Corolla.
The year with the most complaints is 2010 (1,264; owners name air bags most). The year with the fewest is 2018 (136). The median year has 220.
These are raw counts. They are not adjusted for how many of each year were sold, and older years have had longer to collect complaints.
Every model year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Crash | Fire | Most-named component |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,264 | 17 | 146 | 10 | Air Bags (34%) |
| 2011 | 590 | 9 | 44 | 2 | Air Bags (72%) |
| 2012 | 446 | 5 | 41 | 1 | Air Bags (83%) |
| 2013 | 201 | 5 | 46 | 1 | Air Bags (36%) |
| 2014 | 271 | 2 | 64 | 3 | Air Bags (25%) |
| 2015 | 220 | 1 | 60 | 1 | Air Bags (25%) |
| 2016 | 215 | 1 | 66 | 2 | Air Bags (30%) |
| 2017 | 189 | 3 | 47 | 1 | Air Bags (30%) |
| 2018 | 136 | 3 | 26 | 5 | Air Bags (26%) |
| 2019 | 206 | 5 | 24 | 1 | Power Train (27%) |
| 2020 | 313 | 3 | 22 | 1 | Engine (35%) |
Linked years have a full page with every component and recall. Other years get pages over time; the counts above are already live.
Quick answers
What is the worst year for the Toyota Corolla?
By NHTSA owner complaints, 2010 (1,264 complaints; top component air bags). That is a raw count, not adjusted for sales or age.
Which Toyota Corolla year has the fewest complaints?
2018, with 136 complaints in NHTSA's data, among model years 2010–2020.
Which Toyota Corolla year has the most recalls?
2010, with 17 recall campaigns in NHTSA's recall database.
Sources
Each count comes from NHTSA's Complaints API (complaintsByVehicle) and Recalls API (recallsByVehicle) for make TOYOTA, model COROLLA, one request per model year, for example https://api.nhtsa.gov/complaints/complaintsByVehicle?make=TOYOTA&model=COROLLA&modelYear=2010. Checked 2026-10-31. See method.